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Fungal Nails
Category:
Foot Problems, Fungus Problems
Fungal nails refers to any number of fungal nail infections that can occur on the foot. Since fungal nails are usually more resistant and more difficult to treat than Athlete's Foot, topical or oral antifungal medications may be prescribed. Note: Please consult a physician before taking any medications.
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Fungus
Category:
Foot Problems, Skin Problems
Many people don't realize they have a fungal nail problem and, therefore, don't seek treatment. Yet, fungal toenail infections are a common foot health problem and can persist for years without ever causing pain. The disease, characterized by a change in a toenail's color, is often considered nothing
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Gangrene
Category:
Foot Problems, Skin Problems
Gangrene is caused by lost blood supply to the foot or bacterial infections that result from open sores or ulcers. Diabetics are most prone to foot gangrene because they typically have poor circulation or nerve damage, which can lead to loss of blood supply.
Any sudden onset of foot or leg pain accompanied
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General Information
Category:
Medical Care, Surgical Procedures
Surgery on the foot, ankle, or lower leg is usually performed by podiatric surgeons and orthopedic surgeons specializing in the foot and ankle. Foot and ankle surgeries address a wide variety of foot problems, including:
Sprains and fractures.
Arthritis and joint disease.
Benign and malignant tumors.
Birth
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General Information and Tips
Category:
Medical Care, Pain Management
Most individuals will experience foot pain at some point in time during their lives. Foot pain is caused by a wide variety of injuries, health problems or disorders, including (but not limited to):
Arthritis
Bone spurs
Bunions
Calluses
Corns
Flat Feet
Gout
Ingrown toenails
Plantar fasciitis
Sprains
Stress
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General Statistics
Category:
Foot Problems
Foot and ankle problems usually fall into the following categories:
Acquired from improper footwear, physical stress, or small mechanical changes within the foot.
Arthritic foot problems, which typically involve one or more joint.
Congenital foot problems, which occur at birth and are generally inherited.
Infectious
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Getting a Proper Fit
Category:
Shoes
Everything from serious foot disorders to more common foot and ankle conditions can be exacerbated by one, avoidable cause: inappropriate, poor quality, and/or ill-fitting shoes. Any podiatrist will tell you that a quality, properly fitted shoe pays big dividends for your feet—now and in the future.
The
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Golf
Category:
Fitness and Your Feet, Sports and Your Feet
A large part of the attraction of golf is the time spent outdoors. During an 18-hole round of golf, the typical player walks four-to-five miles over the course of three-to-five hours. That's a lot of time spent on your feet. At the same time, the biomechanics of golf make your feet as important to the
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Gordon Syndrome
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
Gordon Syndrome is an extremely rare disorder that belongs to a group of genetic disorders known as the distal arthrogryposes. These disorders typically involve stiffness and impaired mobility of certain joints of the lower arms and legs (distal extremities) including the knees, elbows, wrists, and/or
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Gout
Category:
Foot Problems, Diseases of the Foot
What is Gout?
Classified as a type of metabolic arthritis, gout is one of several common types of arthritis that cause severe inflammation, pain, and swelling in the joints it affects. Gout occurs due to deposits of uric acid crystals in joints around the body—most commonly joints in the big toe and
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Government
Category:
Links
National Institutes of Healthhttp://[email protected] (e-mail)(301) 496-4000National Institute on Aging http://www.nih.gov/nia Information Center P.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, Maryland 20898-8057(800) 222-2225(800) 222-4225 (TTY)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Haglund's Deformity
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
Haglund's Deformity (also known as pump bump or retrocalcaneal bursitis) is a painful enlargement on the back of the heel bone that becomes irritated by shoes. It normally appears as a red, painful, and swollen area in the back of the heel bone. Women tend to develop the condition more than men because
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Haglund's Deformity
Category:
Foot Problems, Heel Problems
Haglund's Deformity (also known as pump bump or retrocalcaneal bursitis) is a painful enlargement on the back of the heel bone that becomes irritated by shoes. It normally appears as a red, painful, and swollen area in the back of the heel bone. Women tend to develop the condition more than men because
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Hallux Limitus (Stiff Big Toe Joint)
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
Hallux Limitus is a condition that results in stiffness of the big toe joint. It is normally caused by an abnormal alignment of the long bone behind the big toe joint, called the first metatarsal bone. Left untreated, Hallux Limitus can cause other joint problems, calluses, and/or diabetic foot ulcers.
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Hallux Limitus (stiff big toe joint)
Category:
Foot Problems, Toe Problems
Hallux Limitus is a condition that results in stiffness of the big toe joint. It is normally caused by an abnormal alignment of the long bone behind the big toe joint, called the first metatarsal bone. Left untreated, Hallux Limitus can cause other joint problems, calluses, and/or diabetic foot ulcers.
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Hallux Rigidis (rigid big toe)
Category:
Foot Problems, Toe Problems
An unmovable big toe, known as Hallux Rigidus, is the most common form of arthritis in your foot. Hallux Rigidus occurs as a result of wear-and-tear injuries, which wear down the articular cartilage, causing raw bone ends to rub together. A bone spur, or overgrowth, may develop on the top of the bone.
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Hallux Rigidus (Stiff Big Toe)
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
An unmovable big toe, known as Hallux Rigidus, is the most common form of arthritis in the foot.
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Hallux Rigidus occurs as a result of wear-and-tear injuries, which wear down the articular cartilage, causing raw bone ends to rub together. A bone spur, or overgrowth, may develop on the top of the
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Hallux Varus
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
Hallux Varus is a condition in which the big toe points away from the second toe. It is a possible complication from bunion surgery. The condition has been linked to a number of other causes, including congenital deformity, tight or short abductor hallucis tendons, trauma, injury, or an absence or surgical
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Hallux Varus
Category:
Foot Problems, Toe Problems
Hallux Varus is a condition in which the big toe points away from the second toe. It is a possible complication from bunion surgery. The condition has been linked to a number of other causes, including congenital deformity, tight or short abductor hallucis tendons, trauma, injury, or an absence or surgical
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Hammertoe Surgery
Category:
Medical Care, Surgical Procedures
Hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third, or fourth toes. In this condition, the toe is bent at the middle joint, causing it to resemble a hammer. Left untreated, hammertoes can become inflexible and painful, requiring surgery.
Hammertoe surgery can be done on an outpatient basis in the doctor's
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Hammertoes
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
Hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third, or fourth toes. In this condition, the toe is bent at the middle joint, causing it to resemble a hammer. Left untreated, hammertoes can become inflexible and require surgery. People with hammertoe may have corns or calluses on the top of the middle joint
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Hammertoes
Category:
Foot Problems, Toe Problems
Hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third, or fourth toes. In this condition, the toe is bent at the middle joint, causing it to resemble a hammer. Left untreated, hammertoes can become inflexible and require surgery. People with hammertoe may have corns or calluses on the top of the middle joint
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Heel Callus
Category:
Foot Problems, Heel Problems
Heel calluses, also called plantar calluses, develop when one metatarsal bone is longer or lower than the others and it hits the ground with more force than it is equipped to handle. As a result, the skin under this bone thickens. The resulting callus causes irritation and pain.
In most cases, heel
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Heel Fissures
Category:
Foot Problems, Heel Problems
Heel fissures is the term for cracking of the skin of the heels. This can be a painful condition that can cause bleeding. Open-backed sandals or shoes that allow more slippage around the heel while walking are often culprits that cause heel fissures. Skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, can
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Heel Surgery
Category:
Medical Care, Surgical Procedures
Many conditions can affect the rear part of the foot and ankle. Two common conditions can cause pain to the bottom of the heel and lead to surgical intervention: plantar fasciitis (an inflammation of a fibrous band of tissue in the bottom of the foot that extends from the heel bone to the toes) and heel
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High Heels
Category:
Foot Care, Women's Feet
Women invite foot problems by wearing high heels. High heels may contribute to knee and back problems, disabling injuries in falls, shortened calf muscles, and an awkward, unnatural gait. In time, high heels may cause enough changes in the feet to impair their proper function. Most women admit high heels
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Ingrown Nails
Category:
Foot Care
Ingrown nails are nails whose corners or sides dig painfully into the skin, often causing infection. They are frequently caused by improper nail trimming, but also by shoe pressure, injury, fungus infection, heredity, and poor foot structure.
Toenails should be trimmed straight across, slightly longer
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Ingrown Toenails
Category:
Foot Problems, Nail Problems
Ingrown toenails, also known as onychocryptosis, is usually caused by trimming toenails too short, particularly on the sides of the big toes. They may also be caused by shoe pressure (from shoes that are too tight or short), injury, fungus infection, heredity, or poor foot structure. Ingrown toenails
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Intoeing
Category:
Foot Problems, Toe Problems
In-toeing and out-toeing occur when the feet are positioned too far inward or outward when walking. Both conditions may be observed in young children as they are learning to walk. By the age of two, most children outgrow these problems on their own. Beyond this age, verbal reminders and reassurance may
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Iontophoresis
Category:
Medical Care, Therapies
Iontophoresis is a procedure used to treat excessive sweating in the hands or feet. The procedure involves one or a series of short, 10- to 20-minute sessions in the doctor's office during which a light electrical current is passed through water into the feet. The current is gradually increased until
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Ischemic Foot
Category:
Foot Problems, Vascular/Nerve Problems
Ischemic foot refers to a lack of adequate arterial blood flow from the heart to the foot. There are a wide variety of possible causes, including arterial blockage from cholesterol deposits, arterial blood clots, arterial spasms, or arterial injury. With ischemic foot, the person suffers from an inadequate
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Jackson-Weiss Syndrome
Category:
Foot Problems, Deformities
Jackson-Weiss Syndrome (JWS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by foot abnormalities. Symptoms include abnormally broad big toes, webbing of the skin between the second and third toes, an inward angling of the toes, and/or malformation or fusion of certain bones within the feet. Jackson-Weiss
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Jogging and Running
Category:
Fitness and Your Feet, Sports and Your Feet
Jogging gained enormous popularity in the 1970s as a great form of cardiovascular fitness. Since then running has become one of the most popular form of physical fitness in America. Whether you run on an indoor track or outdoors, you can enjoy this activity year-round and fit it comfortably into your
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Kaposi's Sarcoma (AIDS related)
Category:
Foot Problems, Diseases of the Foot
Kaposi's Sarcoma is a cancerous lesion that can occur on the soles of the feet. The disease is usually associated with HIV infection and/or AIDS. The lesion is irregular in shape and has a purplish, reddish, or bluish-black appearance. Kaposi's Sarcoma lesions tend to spread and form large plaques or
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Kohler's Disease
Category:
Foot Problems, Diseases of the Foot
Kohler's Disease is a spontaneous loss of blood supply to a particular bone in the foot.
Treatments may include cast immobilization, reduced activities and foot orthotics or inserts.
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